Cotton or hay press



(No Model.)

R. BERRY. COTTON OR HAY PRESS.

No. 361,743. Patented Apr. 26, 1887.

I ammo/whoa Wilma/WM? 3077 @313 G'Ho'an 1 witmaooea UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

W'ILLIAM ROBERT BERRY, OF SALADO, TEXAS.

COTTON OR HAY PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,743, dated April 28, 1887.

Application filed October 26, 1886. Serial No. 217,271. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ROBERT BERRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salado, in the county of Bell and State of lTexas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton or Hay Presses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My improvements relate to that class of screw-presses for pressing and baling cotton, hay, and similar materials wherein the material to be compressed is placed in a box and compressed therein by a reciprocating platen; and the improvements are applicable to presses of that character generally.

Theinvention consists, essentially, of two or alarger number of box-presses connected together by-suitable beams or bars and mounted on a truck having bevel or V-shaped wheels or rollers; a straight horizontal trackhaving ways of V shape in cross-section, within which the bevelshaped wheels or rollers travel and are guided as said boxes are moved in a longitudinal direction back and forth to and from the stationary top platen orplate; a top platen supported in a stationary position above the pressing-boxes and connected to sills supporting the track by vertical rods secured at their upper ends to the stationary top plate or platen, at or near eachcorner thereof; a loose lower platen resting, while the box is being filled and while said platen is not being operated upon, upon a suitable support within and at or near the bottom of each box, the customary screw with an internally screw-threaded bevel gear-wheel and follower being arranged in position between the track-rails, in order that, upon the bevel gear-wheel being turned in one direction, the follower and the lower platen will be forced up within the box at the time beneath the top fixed platen or head, and when turned in the opposite direction said lower platen will be permitted to descend to its lowest position and the follower drawn below the bottom of the box, to permit of said box (after the compressed bale therein has been tied therein and removed therefrom) being moved along the track and the box with the loose material therein brought or brace to hold the box in position during the pressing operation.

The object of my invention is to provide a press with a horizontal track and a pair or greater number of connected press-boxes, in order that while the contents of one box are being compressed the other box may be filled, and when the pressing of the contents of one box is accomplished the bale may be tied and removed, the follower run down, and the boxes slid along the track in either direction, as desired, to bring the now empty box to a position to be again filled, and to bring the unpressed material in the other box intp position to be operated upon by the pressing mechanism, whereby the process of baling can be carried on continuously at a minimum expenditure of time. I

The accompanying drawing represents a perspective view of so much of a baling-press constructed according to my improvements as is necessary to show my invention.

1 represents the longitudinal sills, to which the bed-plateis attached, and 2 represents the cross-sills,which are connected to the sills 1.

3 represents stringers, which are bolted or otherwise secured to and rest upon the crossany other necessary parts of their lengths upon pillow-blocks 4,ties, or other suitable supports.

5 represents a metal rail or track of recessed or V shape in cross-section, within which the wheels or rollers 6, which are journaled in hangers 7, depending from the truck G to support said boxes,and having bevel or V-shaped peripheries or treads 8, rest and are guided in their travel along said track;

9 represents the usual stationary or fixed head or topplaten of the press, and which is, as customary in this class of press, supported in elevated position slightly above the line of travel of the top of the boxes by vertical rods 10, secured at their upper ends at or near each corner, and at their lower ends bolted or otherwise secured to the cross-sills 2.

11 represents the screw, 12 an internally screw-threaded bevel-gear, and 13 the follower, each of ordinary construction.

14: 14 represent the boxes within which the cotton, hay, or other material to be compressed under the stationary top platen, and in a clamp sills 2, and are supported at each end and at is placed. At or near the bottom of the interior of each box are cleats or flanges 15, upon which, while the box is being filled or when it trucks, 0, and are connected together exter-' nally at their bottoms byelongitudinal beams or bars 19, to which the truck or trucks is or are bolted, and transverse or cross beams or bars 20, bolted together at 21. The transverse beams or bars are secured to the longitudinal beams 19, so as to rest snugly against and bracethe respective end faces of the boxes, and also act as binders or braces to the longitudinal beams, as shown. ditionally secured and braced together at or about their centers or on either side thereof by other longitudinal beams or bars, 22, secured to the boxes, and transverse or cross beams or bars 23,bol-ted to said beams 22 at 24 and clamping the boxes and beams 22 together, and also tying and bracing the beams 22. By this construction the boxes, of which there may be more than two, if desired, two only being shown in the drawing herewith for convenience, are securely fastened together, and when one box, as A, is filled with or has a sufficient supply of cotton or other material to be compressed therein, the-connected boxes are pushed or drawn along'the track 5 until said box comes under the rigid upper platen, 9, whereupon the movement of the boxes along the track is stopped, and the screw 11, with its connected follower 13, is forced up within said box, so as to press' the lower platen up against the material in the box and compress it against the fixed upper platen, 9, where- 7 -upon, upon the desired compression having been secured, the bale is tied and removed from the box. The screw is retracted, so as to permit of thelower platen gradually dropping down to and resting upon its supports at the lower end of the box, and also to draw the follower down below the bottom of the box, so as to permit of the free passage along the track of the now empty box.

While thecompressing of the material in the box A is being accomplished the box B is being filled with material to be compressed, and when the screw and follower are withdrawn from the box A the several boxes are pushed or drawn along the track until box B is brought under the rigid upper platen, 9, whereupon the tied bale being removed from box A, through hinged doors provided at the upper end of the bale-box, the material in the boxB is compressed'in the manner'before stated with reference to box A, and during such compression of the material in boxB box Ais being filled with material to be compressed. When the material in box B has been compressed, the bale withdrawn, the

The boxes are ad compressing devices retracted, and'the box A refilled, the boxes are drawn backalong the track until the filled box A is again brought under the rigid upper platen and above the compressing devices, and so on, the filling of the boxes and the compressing and baling of the material being continuous and rapid, so that as soon as one bale is formed another box is filled in readiness for another compression and forming of a bale. By forming the track with V-shaped grooves or depressions and forming, the wheels supporting the truck with bevel or V-shaped-peripheries or treads the boxes will move along the track steadily and securely. When pressing, the tendency of the press ing devices is to force the box upward against the top platen, thereby straining the parts and tending to loosen the top platen and its supporting-rods. To remedy this objection I have devised an efficient clamp or stay, which is composed of upright bars or beams 25,bolted at their lower portions to the cross-sills 2, and two horizontal or longitudinal side beams, 26, each bolted to the upper portion of one pair of said uprights 25 in aposition slightly above the lower cross-beams, 20. By this means while the lower platen is engaged in com pressing the material within the box at the time above the pressing device the tendency of the box to rise under the upward pressure of the pressing device will be stopped by the clamp or stay 25 26, the longitudinal bars or beams 26 of which will hold the box down and prevent its rising against the upper platen and straining it and its supporting-rods. As the under faces of the longitudinal beams 26 are slightly above the cross-beams 20, when the box rests upon the track and while the pressing mechanism is at rest, it will be seen that said stay offers no impediment tothe free pas sage of the boxes along the track.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is-- a 1. A duplex baling-press comprising vertical pressing-boxes connected together at their bottom and also at or near their central portions by longitudinal and transverse beams or braces, a supporting-truck having traveling 1 wheels and connected to the lower box-connecting beams,- a stationary upper platen supported in position on vertical rods, a longitudinal track along which said truck with the boxes thereon may be moved to bring said boxes alternately beneath and away from the top fixed platen, a screw arranged beneath the boxes and having a follower connected to its upper end and adapted to reciprocate vertically through the bottom of the box above the same and force up the lower platen within said box, and also to retract the follower below the bottom of the box to permit of the boxes sliding along the track, substantially as set forth. 7

2. A compress for pressing cotton and other substances, comprising duplex pressing-boxes connected together at or near their bottoms and at a suitable distance above by longitudinal beams or bars, transverse or cross beams secured to said longitudinal beams, so as to brace the same and also the ends of the boxes, a truck supporting said pressing-boxes and having suitable traveling wheels, a fixed top platen supported on vertical rods secured in position to permit of the passage of the boxes and their supports between said rods, a loose lower platen, cleats or flanges on the inner faces of said boxes for supporting said lower platen when at rest, and suitable vertically-reciprocating pressing mechanism for actuating said lower platen, substantially as set forth.

3. A duplex cotton or other press comprising connected pressing-boxes, each having a loose lower platen and platen-supports on its upon suitable supports and having a V-shaped or recessed top face to receive and guide said wheels or rollers during the reciprocatory movements of said truck and the thereto-connected boxes.

4. In a baling-press, the combination, with a press-box having outwardly-projecting beams or bars near its lower portion, a clamp or stay composed of uprights 25, suitably secured in position on opposite sides of the box, and longitudinal beams 26, secured to the upper portion of said uprights so as to project across the upper faces of the beams on the box and receive the impact of said beams or bars during the pressing operation, and thereby hold the box steady, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM ROBERT BERRY.

\Vitnesses:

J .L. BAILEY, J. H. CASKEY. 

